Subterranean Termites: Major Problems They Can Cause Bay Area Property Owners

The most destructive termites in the United States are subterranean termites. Most subterranean termite species live in the ground and come up from the ground to feed on wood and other organic material that is made of cellulose. When they target man-made structures, they can do quite a bit of damage, over time. If untreated, they're able to completely total any structure they infest. Each year, subterranean termites cost U.S. property owners billions of dollars. Today, we're going to discuss how termites behave and how they can create major problems for you if you own property in the Bay Area.

Termites Get Into Decks And Exterior Structures

When termites attack your deck, the majority of the damage they'll do will be on the inside of the wood. These insects don't prefer to be exposed to the sun or to the drying effects of the air. The damage you'll see is that boards will become brittle or start to splinter. They may even give way underfoot.

Prevention: One way to protect your deck from extensive damage is to put your deck supports on concrete or some other material to prevent wood-to-soil contact. This stops termites from getting directly into the wood from the soil. If your supports are already on concrete, do routine inspections for shelter tubes. Subterranean termites create these above-ground mud structures to protect themselves from being dried out.

Termites Can Feed On The Wood In Your Home

Termite workers are relentless hunters. These simple organisms don't need sleep, and they don't focus on one food source at a time. While termites are eating your back deck, they can also be in your subflooring, wall studs, support timbers, and in other interior wood. This can cause floors to buckle or sink or slant. It can also cause walls to bulge and ceilings to sag. 

Termites get into your home by moving through cracks in your foundation or by building shelter tubes on your foundation and other hard surfaces. Once inside, they'll consume the wood in your home, non-stop. Over time, this can lead to significant structural damage.

Prevention: When you take the time to seal foundation cracks, you can actually have some success in preventing termite damage. While certainly not foolproof, it is well worth the effort. Along with this, routine inspections for shelter tubes may alert you to a threat early enough to prevent extensive damage.

Termites Can Damage Your Bank Account

If you have savings set aside for retirement, or you plan to use your home's equity as a part of your retirement nest egg, termites can take a bite out of your net worth. When termite protection is an afterthought, these insects can do extensive internal damage to a home during years of infestation. The reason they're able to do this is because they're sneaky. As we pointed out already, they stay hidden inside wood. They're also surprisingly quiet. While it is possible to hear termites chewing on wood, you probably won't detect them. Subterranean termites are particularly difficult to hear as they slowly scrape on softwood timbers. Drywood termites make a little more noise as they scrape on hardwood.

Prevention: The only way to proactively prevent termites from damaging your bank account is to invest in professional termite protection. When you invest in professional termite protection, you decide how much you will pay for termites. There are no surprises. You can add the cost as a line item in your budget. This will allow you to look forward to your retirement being what you imagine it to be. 

Termites Can Be Annoying

When termites infest a structure, they can sometimes be annoying. A mature nest will begin to produce winged male and female reproductives. If these winged termites (called swarmers) emerge inside your home, it will be very annoying and more than a little bit stressful. But you might want to thank those annoying winged termites. They usually emerge outside and don't alert property owners to the danger of a termite infestation. When you see swarmers in your Bay Area house, contact Bay Pest immediately. Those winged termites are letting you know that you have a severe infestation.

Prevention: This is not a problem you want to prevent.

Bay Area Termite Control

If you're dealing with a termite infestation, or you want to stop termites before they get into your Bay Area home, we have the solution. Our licensed pest professionals apply termiticides to address current infestations and we use a mixture of bait and liquid barrier treatments to create an impenetrable termite barrier around your home. This barrier doesn't just keep termites out, it actively uses worker termites to eliminate attacking colonies. If you'd like to learn more, or you would like to schedule service for your Bay Area home, reach out to us today.